WELCOME!

Please share this blog with your friends and neighbors!!
Dr. Caroline Ramsey Musselwhite

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

AAC Workshop at Vanderbilt University - February 27, 2015

What and When: 
AAC Conference at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

Thursday, February 26, 6:30 - 8:00 pm
Sibling Strengths:  Building AAC Supports as a Family
Emily D. Quinn, M.S., CCC-SLP

Friday, February 27, 8:00 am - 3:30 pm
Communication All Day Long:  Communication Circles, Topic Setting and MORE
Dr. Caroline Ramsey Musselwhite

Download Flyer Here

Link to Registration Here


Monday, January 12, 2015

Indestructibles - Lovely Book Set

Okay, this is NOT a new set, but it's new to me!

Indestructibles is a set of books intended for babies, so they are:
- rip-proof
- drool-proof
- puncture proof

While some of the titles are clearly just for babies (Baby Faces, Baby Babble) others would be age respectful for somewhat older students.

The books are illustrated in the style of Eric Carle, and are all wordless.  Therefore, while they are wonderful for cuddling and making up stories, they will also be great for:
• Oral storytelling, using voice or AAC systems
• Writing captions
• Writing simple stories for younger children

These are very reasonably priced (about $6 per book), are lighter and thinner than board books,  and are easier to turn pages than typical paper books.

Check out their website below:
Indesctructibles Website

 

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Exploring Books

This quote comes from Isobel, Eddyto's Mum!

She had a wonderful post on a FB group for people interested in Angelman, Literacy, and Education.

Isobel shared her journey from keeping books away from her young son (unless she was supervising) to avoid nibbling and tearing, to allowing him to spend more time exploring and learning about books.  The result of her journey (both figurative and literal, as they were spending a month in Australia, where a range of new books were available to her children), was this wonderful quote.  Please share!!


Friday, January 9, 2015

Ideas are like rabbits . . .

Now that I have your attention, let me share a great quote from one of my favorite authors.

Why, one day I asked, "John, how do you have so many great ideas?"

And he answered: "Ideas are like rabbits.  You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen."

I see this when I do a workshop, then go into a classroom or a home and see teachers, therapists, aides, and parents who take a few ideas that I shared and make them grow like crazy!

Here's my visual presentation of this quote!!


HelpKIdzLearn Website

I realized that some people still don't know about this website, so wanted to share!  This is a subscription website - with a free sample for each area, but well worth joining!

HelpKidzLearn

The Games and Activities section presents six categories:
Early Years:   Presents activities such as:  'Touch to Jump' - students touch a character (using mouse, touchpad, switches, or eyegaze) as it moves around the screen - when the character gets to the spotlight it gives a fun musical performance

Games:  A sample is 'Hurdle Champion' in which students have to wait to make the champion jump when s/he is at the hurdle

Stories:  This set includes many '5 Little' such as witches, dinosaurs, aliens, etc.  They include the song, counting up, and counting along, each of which requires different skills.

Creative:  Allows students to use switches, mouse, etc. to engage in activities such as building a sand castle, making music, and painting.

Find Out:  This category includes a range of activities such as looking for treasures and exploring emotions.

Most of these activities are designed to support students who are struggling with access, including touch, switch, and eye gaze. 

They support repetition with variation, with clever, delightful graphics and animation.  For example, in 'Touch to Jump' multiple characters play a range of instruments including:
- Scottish bagpiper
- old man sitting in bed playing a tune on his dishes
- skeleton playing a xylophone made of bones
- And many many more!!




Monday, January 5, 2015

Handout - Angelman Gala Education Summitt - Dr. Gretchen Hanser

Writing for Students with Angelman Syndrome:  Mission IS Possible

Below is the link to the handout for the session by Dr Gretchen Hanser, Presented at the Angelman Education Summit in Chicago on December 6, 2015.

Writing for Students with Angelman Syndrome